Corrugated fiberboard containers have been used for many years as shipping and storage containers for a large variety of products. Corrugated fiberboard generally refers to a multi-layer sheet material comprised of sheets of linerboard bonded to central corrugated layers of medium. Single-wall corrugated fiberboard involves two sheets of linerboard bonded on alternate sides of one corrugated medium while double-wall corrugated fiberboard involves three linerboards bonded alternatively to two corrugated mediums. Corrugated fiberboard containers may vary greatly in size and weight depending on the intended usage of the container.
The distribution of products in large containers is common in a wide variety of industries, ranging from automotive to food. Corrugated semi-bulk containers (“CBCs”) and “combo bins” are examples of containers common in the meat industry for storing and shipping beef, pork, chicken, other animal products, and/or animal protein products between processing facilities and from those processing facilities to customers.
Existing CBCs and combo bins often require local horizontal zones of reinforcement for containment to prevent container failure resulting in product loss and to ensure the products are saleable when they arrive at the end of the distribution process and any auxiliary processes. Given the dense, flowable, and frequently “wet” nature of the products often shipped in the CBCs and combo bins, containment of the product in a thin-gauge plastic bag within a paper-based, economical, single-use container is often challenging.
A single container failure may result in a loss costing several times more than the cost of the contents of the container, For example, all of the contents on a truck may be rejected if just one of the containers being shipped on the truck fails. The product contained therein may then be lost due to perishability. Other losses resulting therefrom may also be accrued such as penalties, consequential losses, combinations thereof, and the like.
Reinforcement methods are often used to increase the performance of existing CBCs and combo bins. For example, some existing CBCs and combo bins are constructed of multi-wall combinations to increase the strength of the containers. Moreover, existing CBCs and combo bins may utilize heavy linerboards to assist in preventing leakage of the product being shipped.
Alternatively or additionally, existing CBCs and combo bins may utilize embedded filament-reinforcing tapes, internal reinforcement, and/or externally applied tensioned strapping. Internal reinforcement may include polymeric straps located between one of the sheets of linerboard and one of the corrugated mediums to enhance the bulge or tear resistance of the structure, thereby increasing the performance of the overall container. External reinforcement is most often accomplished by the use of multiple horizontal bands of strapping material. These reinforcements generally reinforce the container and protect against static hydraulic forces and dynamic forces resulting from transportation and handling.
Existing reinforcement methods have several disadvantages associated therewith. For example, existing reinforcements are often costly to purchase and to apply to the containers. The process of adding reinforcements to containers often requires significant manual labor. Furthermore, the placement and/or tension levels often vary, depending, for example, on the operator. Although the process may be automated on a conveyor, extensive capital expense and a dedicated manufacturing line are often required to do so. Additionally, because the reinforcements are often polymeric, metallic, or the like, the reinforcements are more difficult to recycle and generally have a greater negative impact to the environment than a fiberboard container alone.
Thus, a container that addresses one or more of the above-described disadvantages would be desirable.